the world health organization calls it a grave threat. college cult: how did students at a prestigious college end up brainwashed by an ex-convict living in their dorm? tonight, the new federal charges of sex trafficking, forced labor, and nearly $1 million stolen. a cbs news investigation: the aunt of those missing children from idaho speaks out. the disturbing thing their mother told her before the kids disappeared. plus what investigators just found that could lead to a break in the case. left without an altar? thousands of couples end up without a place to get married after a nationwide event company goes bankruptcy. and turning heartbreak into hope. how one father here turned the loss of his son into a way to feed those in need, in our series "every state has a story." >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell reporting tonight from new hampshire.

>> o'donnell: good evening, and thank you so much for joining us. we begin here in new hampshire with breaking news because the final votes in tonight's democratic primary are being cast right now. the polls here close soon, and based on our interviews with voters, it looks like we could be in for a tight race. that's because democrats in new hampshire appear to be split on what they are looking for in a candidate. 40% of voters said today they want a candidate who will return to the policies of barack obama, while 38% want a candidate who will bring more liberal policies to the white house. and those confusing results in iowa and friday night's debate may have helped change minds here. almost half of those who voted say they picked their candidate in just the last few days, some late deciders, and that's double the number from 2016. bernie sanders has led every recent democratic poll here, but two other candidates have been surging, pete buttigeig and amy klobuchar. and tonight, this: joe biden appears to be conceding defeat. he's already on his way to south

carolina for a rally there. our team is covering tonight's primary from across the state, and ed o'keefe leads us off our coverae tonight. ed. >> reporter: norah, good evening. the one thing democrats appear to be united on here in new hampshire is their anger towards president trump. and more than 60% say they're more concerned about finding someone who can defeat the president than finding a candidate they agree with on the issues. >> go, pete! we've got this! >> reporter: former mayor pete buttigeig made a last-minute attempt to find voters this made a last-minute attempt to morning. >> we'll pull off a big success. >> reporter: he's hoping to defeat the more progressive senator bernie sanders who is trying to be the first non- president to win back-to-back primaries here. >> we have an agenda that speaks to the needs of working families all across this country. >> reporter: in the last week, nobody has climbed faster than senator amy klobuchar. >> it is here that many candidates that are not as well known or maybe don't have the biggest bank account find their

footing in the state of new hampshire. >> reporter: klobuchar is hoping undecided voters give her another look before casting a ballot. she had a breakout performance at last week's debate, and based on exit polls, almost half of voters said the debate was an important factor in their decision. ed o'keefe, cbs news, manchester, new hampshire. >> reporter: nikole killion in nashua. >> we will fight for every vote we have here. >> reporter: former vice president joe biden said he was after every vote but left new hampshire before they were even counted. >> going to south carolina tonight. >> reporter: biden's poll numbers in new hampshire have plummeted, and the campaign sees the primary in south carolina as an opportunity to rebound. but there are more danger signs for biden. the last national polls show he's dropped nine points and now has former new york city mayor michael bloomberg close on his heels. but bloomberg is under fire tonight after a 2015 speech surfaced where he defends his

controversial stop-and-frisk policy and explains why cops are put in minority neighborhoods: >> reporter: bloomberg has apologized for the policy and did so again today. >> i apologize. i own it. >> reporter: another candidate fighting for survival is massachusetts senator elizabeth warren, who has seen some of her support slip against candidates like amy klobuchar and pete buttigeig, who is rallying here tonight. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, nikole, thank you. and we spent part of our day here in new hampshire with amy klobuchar and pete buttigeig, two candidates who weren't among the favorites when the campaign began but who are now surging in a state known for its surprises. >> you got your parka on? i have no jacket on. that's my thing. >> reporter: amy klobuchar may not have a coat, but she does have momentum, and we spoke with

her aboard her campaign bus earlier today. >> people are realizing, you know, what? she's actually doing better than anyone thought. and i think that's the story of my life, and that's the story of this campaign. ( applause ) >> reporter: the tougher contests in nevada and south carolina where klobuchar is polling in single digits lay ahead. you talked about what you learned from your father being resiliency. even if you do well in new hampshire, it gets a lot harder after this. >> yeah, it does. i'm a good campaigner, and i find a way to keep moving. and nevada is a state-- this is something people haven't realized-- two women in the u.s. senate. they have elected a majority- women legislature. and so, there's going to be some interesting things that are advantages to me in nevada. >> o'donnell: do you think it's been the policy that's connected or is it when you get personal with voters that connects? >> i think they are looking for someone that they believe and that they can trust. >> o'donnell: you talk about empathy.

>> uh-huh. >> o'donnell: people like trump because he's a fighter. >> sure. but i'm a fighter, too. i think we need someone tough to take him on. >> o'donnell: mayor bloomberg has now risen to third place. how do you compete against that? >> well, michael bloomberg, is a force. he has billions of dollars. i don't have billions of dollars so i actually think it's good he's going to be on the debate stage because i'm never going to be able to beat him on the airwaves but i can beat him on the debate stage. >> reporter: iowa helped propel pete buttigeig and now expectations here in new hampshire are high. what constitutes victory for you? >> it's very important for us to put up a very good showing, even knowing we are competing against some competitors who are from right here in new england. >> o'donnell: how do you appeal to progressive wing of the democratic party? >> my message to progressives is simple: i would be the most progressive president in the last half century. and yet, i'm also offering a way to do it that doesn't risk the further division and polarization that is already

such a problem for our country. >> o'donnell: there's a passion for donald trump. >> he has his supporters and always will, but i'm also meeting so many people that come to my events and they make it clear that they're used to voting republican but they're just sick of this. it's part of why i believe we need to build a movement that can welcome in those who will cross over. it's not going to be everybody. >> o'donnell: and the race is on, so we will have updates for you on the new hampshire primary during prime-time programming tonight right here on cbs. there is breaking news in the case against roger stone, the longtime ally of president trump, who was convicted on seven counts, including obstruction and witness tampering. well, late today, all four career federal prosecutors who worked the case abruptly quit as critics say a decision to reject their sentencing recommendation was an abuse of power. jeff pegues reports tonight from washington. >> reporter: this afternoon, president trump said he did not ask the justice department to lower its sentencing

recommendation for his friend roger stone. >> i thought the recommendation was ridiculous. i thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous. >> reporter: the controversy started yesterday when prosecutors asked a judge to sentence stone to 7-9 years in prison. president trump responded overnight on twitter calling it "horrible" and a "miscarriage of justice." the justice department's decision today to argue for a shorter sentence and overrule their own prosecutors prompted four of them to resign in an apparent protest. how unusual is it for d.o.j. to reverse course like this? >> in this case, it's stunning. >> reporter: scott fredericksen is a former federal prosecutor. >> and a fundamental rule of the department of justice is not to interfere politically with criminal prosecutions, especially on behalf the president. >> reporter: and late today, the justice department said that it would leave the decision on stone's sentencing to the judge in this case and that the original 7-9 years sentencing

recommendation would not be appropriate. norah. >> o'donnell: what an incredible story, jeff. thank you. and tonight, the world health organization is using its strongest language yet, calling that deadly coronavirus a very grave threat that could have powerful consequences, more powerful consequences than a terrorist attack. but as carter evans reports, one group of americans may have dodged the bullet. >> reporter: medical masks were tossed in celebration when 195 american evacuees were finally released after 14 days under quarantine at march air reserve base. >> so today is the last day. we are heading home. >> reporter: jarred evans fled from wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus. are you concerned how you might be accepted when you return home? >> you know, it's been on the back of my mind. >> reporter: in san diego, health officials now confirm one of the passengers who arrived there on a flight last week is

infected. the patient is in the hospital and said to be doing well. the largest coronavirus outbreak outside of china is on a cruise ship docked in yokohama, japan, where nearly 3,600 people remain under quarantine after more than 130 cases were confirmed, including 23 americans and 10 crew members. binay kumar sarkar works side by side with other crew members, fearful the close quarters could spread the virus among them. two travelers from china are still here on base finishing out their individual quarantines. as for those evacuated americans? well, the c.d.c. says they are virus-free, and no further medical checkups are required. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, carter, thank you. a father who had moved into his daughter's college dorm is under arrest tonight on federal charges of extortion and sex trafficking involving her schoolmates. the alleged scheme was so twisted and outrageous that one f.b.i. essential said, "if

not angry, you don't have a soul." here's errol barnett. >> reporter: lawrence ray left jail in 2010, moving into his daughter's on-campus house for a year at sarah lawrence college in westchester, new york. according to the indictment, he used verbal and physical abuse to control his young victims. that abuse escalated once they moved to new york city with him a short time later. >> so ray directed his victims by other means for him by other means, by draining their parents' savings, and, worse, forced labor and prostitution. >> reporter: ray is charged with nine counts, including sex trafficking, extortion, and money laundering. the indictment says ray also demanded taped confessions from his victims for supposed crimes they committed. >> anybody threaten you? >> no. >> anybody coerce you? >> no. >> reporter: in this video, uploaded in 2017, an apparently disoriented young woman says she tried to poison ray, an unsubstantiated claim. >> and you poisoned me you said?

>> yes. >> reporter: prosecutors say he used these videos to extort his victims. now, sarah lawrence college said it looked into accusations against ray from 2011 but could not substantiate them, pledging to cooperate with this investigation. now, ray faces an arraignment at the courthouse you see behind me on wednesday. and, norah, if found guilty faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. >> o'donnell: all right, errol, thank you. now a cbs news investigation. there are new clues in the mysterious disappearance months ago of two idaho children. you may remember this story. their mother and her new husband turned up recently in hawaii, and tonight, we're hearing from family members who suspect the worst. jonathan vigliotti reports tonight from idaho. >> reporter: tonight, relatives are painting a dark and demented picture of lori vallow as investigators try to figure out what happened to her children, seven-year-old joshua "j.j."

vallow and 17-year-old tylee ryan. tylee's aunt says vallow's belief in doomsday scenarios changed the way she felt about the kids. >> sometimes she wondered if it would be better just to put her kids in a car and go off the side of a cliff. >> reporter: the children haven't been seen since september, the same month vallow moved the family to rexburg, idaho, so she could be closer to chad daybell. he's written more than 25 books, many about the end of the world. daybell and vallow are now married and living in hawaii. both of their previous spouses died under suspicious circumstances, according to authorities. cbs news has learned tylee's cell phone was found with her mom in hawaii. a text message was sent from the teen's phone to a friend a month after she disappeared. >> no teenager would willingly be without her phone. >> reporter: j.j.'s grandfather now confirms vallow stashed his grandson's favorite toys in this storage unit and got rid of his service dog. >> everything that lori is doing runs counter to what a parent

would do whose child is alive. >> reporter: jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, rexburg, idaho. >> o'donnell: and there is still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." thousands of brides and grooms scramble for a new wedding location when their venue suddenly shuts down. and wait 'til you hear how much money those couples have lost. plot twist: why actor jussie smollett was just indicted in chicago. and the soupman delivers, channeling his heartbreak into helping those who need it most. w way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old, we want to buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate, answer a few questions, and our techno-wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot, and pick up your car. that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car,

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today, a grand jury returned six new charges against smollett. wedding dreams suddenly turned into nightmares for nearly 3,000 brides and grooms when a national chain of wedding venues abruptly closed. as janet shamlian reports, those couples tonight are out more than $7 million. >> reporter: the fairy tale of a perfect wedding is now crushed wedding is now for eva hung and her fiance. with their ceremony three weeks away, eva is scrambling, after her venue, noah's, closed without warning. how much money did you lose? >> probably from $10,000 to $12,000. >> reporter: events and weddings across the country are now at risk as the chain abruptly shut down. >> i don't want to cry, but this was hard. >> reporter: no notice to customers, many learning through social media. couples posting, "we are so heartbroken." and "closing your doors days before someone's wedding, shame on you."

noah's closed after investigator allegations of fraud, a judge last week ordering him to close immediately. a notice on noah's stated: close immediately. a notice on tonight, the bride-to-be still has no place for her big day, and her 160 guests. >> because we are paying for everything, we're probably not going to go on our honeymoon. >> reporter: janet shamlian, cbs news, houston. >> o'donnell: all right, coming up next, his son fell victim to the opioid crisis, and now he's dedicated his life to bringing hope to the homeless. i'm bad. you're stronger than you know. so strong. you power through chronic migraine, 15 or more headache or migraine days a month. one tough mother. you're bad enough for botox®. botox® has been preventing headaches and migraines before they even start for almost 10 years,

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in so many ways. which cage free eggs taste fresher and more delicious? only eggland's best. which organic eggs have more vitamins and less saturated fat? only eggland's best. better taste, better nutrition, better eggs. >> o'donnell: the opioid crisis is a major public health issue here in new hampshire. the state has the third highest death rate from opioid overdoses. it's twice the national average and a source of pain for so many families. we met one man whose channeling his grief into helping others in tonight's "every state has a story." >> 11.3 miles. >> o'donnell: peter kelleher never thought he'd be driving a big red bus down the snowy roads of new england.

>> boots and boots and boots and gloves. >> o'donnell: and he never thought he'd be a lifeline for thousands of homeless people. >> bundle up. >> o'donnell: hi, peter, how are you? we met up with him in manchester, new hampshire, and he told us how this all got started. what did your son travis need? >> he had it all. he was kind. he was handsome. he needed to get off the drugs. >> o'donnell: addicted to opioids and homeless, peter's son travis died in 2016. he was 33. >> i couldn't save him. his mother couldn't save him. his grandmother. he had that devil. he had the demon. >> o'donnell: the opioid demon? e yeah. and i just had to do something. >> o'donnell: so peter started making soup for the homeless. here you go. >> thank you so much. >> o'donnell: you're very welcome. peter's nonprofit "support the soupman" has expanded.

he buys boots in bulk and stocks a mobile closet full of warm clothes. >> this is needed more than anything out there. >> o'donnell: socks. >> socks, boots, and gloves. >> o'donnell: and there are backpacks that are truly care packages. how do you hope to make a difference? >> every day i hope to make a difference in someone's heart. >> o'donnell: and with so much need, peter says, he will never stop. a reminder we can all give more. we'll be right back. right back. aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. it's an honor to tell you that [ applause ] thank you. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. i love you! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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until then, we wish you a good night. this is the "cbs overnight news." we've got a lot more to share with you this morning about new hampshire. now that the votes are counted, the question becomes, can any of the democratic presidential contenders win the state in a november matchup with president trump? tony dokoupil went out on to the ice to take the temperature of voters. >> reporter: on a winter day in new hampshire, there aren't too many places to go looking for voters. but over an ice fishing hole in concord is one of them. >> how many maggots do you put on the hook? >> i'm going to put three on. >> reporter: that's where we met

dennis and tim. >> you're a republican and you're a democrat. >> sort of. >> i'm struggling with the presidential race this year. >> what's the struggle over? >> the division in this country is probably the biggest issue i have right now. it's heartbreaking. oh, a little fish right here. >> reporter: up here, we found reeling in fish can be easier than reeling in votes. >> health care is one of your issues in >> yeah, i'm self-employed, so it's very expensive. >> elizabeth warren and bernie sanders have free health care. >> how are we going to pay for it. >> this is 40 degrees, i've got my coat open. it's not supposed on the this hot. >> it's global warming. >> you don't really believe it, do you? >> you've got to be kidding me.

>> tim, are you with dennis on that point? >> no. >> so political polarization -- >> health care. >> health care. >> the health care and climate. >> you mean the hoax that you friend here -- >> not just climate change. the trump administration is rolling back protections on our water at a staggering rate. >> reporter: as moore considers who might able to help him, he has his own feelings about president trump. >> what do you think of his character? >> that's a tough call. >> reporter: as he gave it some thought -- >> i got one. >> tony's fish. >> then back to the topic at hand. >> i think on a personal level, he has a good character. but his public appearance is pretty crude. >> do you think he's always honest? >> i think he's an honest person, but he sure does tell a lot of lies. >> reporter: for now,